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0. E. ONGLEY. SWITCH MEGHANiSM FOR BLEOTRIG BATTERIES. No. 389,001.

Patented Sept. 4, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQEQ CHARLES E. ONGLEY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

SWITCH MECHANISM FOR ELECTRlC BATTERlES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,001, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed November 21, 1887. Serial No. 255,719. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. ONGLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch Mechanism for Electric Batteries, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same. This invention relates to an automatic switch apparatus, which is especially designed for use in those cases where it is desired to bring into operation successively a plurality of batteries. There are many cases of this kind; but a good example is found in apparatus for operating electrically the valve or other mechanism which controls the movements of an elevator. In the case of such apparatus the battery is in almost constant action while the elevator is in operation, and is as a consequence likely, especially if the battery is of light power, to become weakened after a tiine,so as not to be effective. In order to avoid this it is desirable to provide a plurality of batteries and a switch mechanism which is so arranged as to bring the several batteries into action alternately,thus allowing each battery after it has been in action for a time to remain idle for a time, and thus recuperate before it is again brought into action. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a portion of my switch mechanism and its connection with an electromotor and a pair of batteries. Fig. 2 is a side view of the switching mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the switchingdisk.

As before stated, the present invention is especially adapted for use in connection with the batteries which are used in operating electrically the valve or other mechanism for controlling the movements of an elevator, and it is therefore illustrated in the accompanying drawings as employed in such a connection.

In said drawings, a represents a pawl, which is pivoted on a stud, I), carried by a moving part, A,which may be either the car or any other suitable moving part of the mechanism. The pawl a is provided with an arm, 0, resting against an adj usting-screw,d, held in a lug, e, on the part A. A spring,f, attached at one Held upon any suitable support (not shown) is a train of gearing, g, g, g 57 9*, and g by which the speed of the shaft h is reduced from that of the shaft 72 Upon the shaft h is placed a ratchet-wheel, If, so arranged with reference to'the moving part A that as the car ascends the pawl a will turn the ratchet-wheel one or more teeth in the direction of the arrow 1, imparting through the intermediate train of gearing a rotary motion to the shaft 7b and gear-wheel in the direction of the arrows 2 and 3.

Arranged concentrically on the gear are pinsj,which, as the gear rotates, act against the arm 7c of a bell'crank lever pivoted at 7t, thus rocking the bellcrank lever upon its pivot against the tension of a spring, 7:, at tached to the arm k of the lever, and also to a fixed point, It.

To the end of the arm in is hinged a short arm, capable of turning in one direction against the tension of a light blade-spring, It, but held from turning in the opposite direction by an arm, 76, which rests against the side of the arm 70".

Near the gear-wheel and in a plane parallel with it is a disk, Z, attached to a shaft, Z, and preferably made of some insulating material. From one face of this disk there project four pins, in, which are arranged to be consecutively engaged by the arm 75 as the arm It is released by one of the corresponding pins jon the gear XVhen this takes place, the bell-crank lever will be rocked upon its pivot 7t by the spring 76*, thereby causing the disk Z to be turned one-quarterol a revolution,or until the arm k is stopped by its contact with a fixed pin, a, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and as the gear 9 continues its rotation in the direction of the arrow 3 the next succeeding pinj will engage the arm 7; of the bellcrank lever, the arm 75 turning as it passes the pin m, thus restoring the lever to the position shown in Fig. 2, ready to move the disk Z another quarter of a revolution as the arm 7; is released from the pin j.

Placed diametrically across the disk Z are metallic strips 1) p on opposite sides of the disk, and also at right angles to each other, with their outer sides flush with the sides of the disk.

Fixed to the rigid portion of the machine are apair of brushes, T, which rest against one side of the disk Z, and a pair of brushes, 8, which rest against the opposite side of the disk, the brushes 1- being connected by wires 3 5 with a battery, 4, and an electromotor, 6, by which the valve or other mechanism for controlling the movements of the elevator is operated in any suitable manner, while the brushes 8 are similarly connected by wires 8 5 with the electromotor 6 and a battery, 7. From this arrangement it results that the metallic strips are brought alternately in contact with their respective pairs of brushes, and the batteries 4t and 7 are alternately brought into action with a frequency determined by the move ments of the part A and the number of pins in the gear-wheel g The operation of the switch mechanism thus organized is as follows: The elevator being set in motion, the part A, carried by the car or other part of the machinery,will be caused to reciprocate past the ratchet h", and at each re ciprocation the pawl a will engage with the ratchet and give it a partial rotation, which motion will be transmitted through the train of gearing to the gear 9 thus causing one of the pinsj to engage with the arm is and rock the lever k to the position shown in Fig. 2. Shortly after the parts arrive in this position the pin j will pass out of engagement with the arm It, and the spring will then rock the lever to the position shown in dotted lines. As the lever is thus rocked by the pin j, the arm k will engage with one of the pins m and impart a quarter-turn to the disk Z, thereby carrying the plate p or p, as the case may be, out of contact with the brushes 1' or s, so as to break the circuit through one of the batteries, and at the same time bringing the other plate into position to connect the other pair of brushes and close the circuit through the other battery. The battery thus brought into the circuit will remain in action until the lever It" is again operated to give another quarter-turn to the disk Z, when this battery will be cut out of and the first battery brought into the circuit, and so the operation will continue to be repeated. By this means the batteries are successively brought into action, thus allowing each to recuperate after it has been in action for a certain length of time and has become weakened. The parts, as herein shown, are so proportioned that two hundred or more reciprocations of the pawl a will take place between each change of the batteries; but of course this may be varied to any desired extent by changing the proportions of the connections.

In the drawings I have shown four pins in the gear 9 but their number may beincreased within a certain limit or reduced to one pin. The train of gearing is frictioned in any wellknown manner, so as to prevent any reverse motion of the ratchet-wheel If as the pawl a passes over it on the reverse movement of the part A, and the disk Z is also held by friction applied in any known manner to prevent areverse movement as the arm k passes over one of the pins m as it is moved by the action of the pins j.

The mechanism shown in the drawings as embodied in the train of gearing interposed between the part A and the disk Z is not an essential feature of my invent-ion, as many other known methods may be employed by which the speed may be reduced, or by which the reciprocating motion of the part A may be made to impart an intermittent motion to the disk Z.

Although herein described as applied to an elevator mechanism, my invention is not limited to such an application, as it may be usefully applied in other mechanisms.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with the moving part A of an elevator or other machine, of an electromotor, 6, and a plurality of batteries, electric conductors forming circuits through said motor and each of said batteries, and a switch mechanism operated periodically by said moving part A, and arranged to close the circuit through one of said batteries and break the circuit through the other, and vice versa, substantially as described.

2. The combination of battery 4 and electromotor 6, brushes 7', electrically connected with said battery and electromotor, battery 7 and brushes 8, electrically connected with said battery and motor, and a rotating disk placed between said pairs of brushes, said disk having metallic strips Which are alternately brought into contact with each pair of brushes, whereby each of said batteries is alternately brought into the electric circuit with said electromotor, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with'an electromotor and two batteries independently connected with said motor, of a rotating disk with independent contact-strips, two pairs of brushes independently connected with the electric circuits of said batteries, and a disk-actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

at. Thecombination,with the moving part A ofanelevatoror othermachine,anelectromotor, and two batteries independently connected with said motor, of a rotating disk provided with independent contact-strips, two pairs of brushes independently connected with the circuits of said batteries, and a disk-operating mechanism driven from said moving part A, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. ONGLEY.

Witnesses:

T. H. PALMER, J. J. KENNEDY. 

